


out of this world

by silvertaels



Series: let my ships rise 2k17 [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: I literally have no idea what to tag, M/M, Slight fluff?, doil, doil rise, vibe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 21:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16730538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertaels/pseuds/silvertaels
Summary: Maybe, just maybe, it's because Taeil brings him to beyond the universe we can ever define.





	out of this world

**Author's Note:**

> ♫ Knock On and My Van on repeat.

Dongyoung doesn't remember when he closed his eyes, but when he opens them again, he finds himself in a familiar yet foreign land. It resembles Seoul, he's standing in a park surrounded by tall buildings just across the street. The sky is blue, the sun is hidden behind some fluffy clouds, and birds are flying back to their nest in a particularly tall tree. Nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, very ordinary. He doesn't remember the air in Seoul being so fresh though, nor it being so quiet. He takes a moment to just bask in the whole experience, taking in the view with his eyes, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to have a taste of the fresh air. When else would he be able to feel so relaxed in the middle of a bustling city?

_Bustling city?_ He opens his eyes as he realises it's especially quiet because he is the only person there. No ahjummas doing their morning exercise, no kids running around, no adults rushing to work. There's no one, at all. There's no traffic jam on the highway, there isn't a single vehicle on the road. No roaring motors, no exhaust gas, no beeping of horns from annoyed drivers. Nothing, besides the birds chirping once in a while, or leaves rustling when a soft breeze comes their way.

The view is great, really. Sunny day with some clouds, temperature just right, refreshing, and tranquil as it is. Dongyoung really appreciates it, he does. He would be happy to see this view any day, especially when his work just entails travelling between different concrete boxes every day. Even when he manages to escape the concrete jungle, it's for work and he never could truly feel at peace. Now that he finally gets the opportunity, he appreciates it.

But he doesn't feel happy.

He wants to tell Jeno about the amazing view he saw. He wants to describe the view in such great detail to Donghyuck to spite him, but promise to bring him there next time. He wants to take photos and send them to Youngho, showing off the beauty he'd manage to capture. He wants to tell Taeyong about the hidden beauty in this place they'd probably passed by hundreds of times in daily commute. He wants to upload photos to Instagram and share this treasure with hundreds, and thousands more people.

Above all, there's someone he wants to be here with, at this very moment, in this place. A person he wants to share the happiness of this experience with. Who knows, it might even become a more spectacular experience.

He knows, though, that it's not possible. There is no one but himself here. If that person was here, so would everyone else. The city would be bustling again, cars honking, people chattering. It wouldn't be the same. People say - and rightly so - that you can't have the best of both worlds.

He sighs and looks up at the sky. If he can't have both, he should at least be thankful for the one he has.

"Kim Dongyoung?"

He freezes at the voice calling for him. He swears he feels the hairs on his nape stand, and a cool breeze caressing his neck. Surely the roads have been completely empty when he'd looked around just a minute ago. The only signs of life were the trees, the birds and perhaps the amoeba he can't see. But yet, here he is, hearing someone call his name. That, and the voice was of someone he's very, very, very familiar with. He _has_ to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

He slowly turns around. His neck feels so stiff, as though it's made of wood, and he can't find the strength to turn his head any faster. He's sure, so sure that people can never have all the good things in life. Sacrifices have to be made. _He_ can't be standing there behind him.

But there Taeil was, standing in all his glory.

In the glory of a postman, apparently, dressed in the signature blue uniform. He's holding up an envelope, suggesting it's for Dongyoung.

"You've got mail," he confirms.

Dongyoung can barely do a thing except blink at the man before him. Taeil doesn't seem to have anything else to say, so he takes the envelope and examines it. The only thing written is Dongyoung's name, without an address, and there's no information about the sender. He raises an eyebrow at Taeil, "From who? There's no one else here."

Taeil only smiles at him and shrugs, "I don't know. Why don't you open it?"

He starts tearing the envelope open, and he casually comments, "You're speaking Korean."

Taeil looks at him quizzically, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Dunno," Dongyoung shrugs as he finally opens the envelope, only to find nothing inside. He looks up at Taeil, puzzled, but Taeil just slips his arm around Dongyoung's waist and leans into his shoulder, sighing contently.

"The weather's good, don't you think?" Taeil beams up at him.

A smile is growing on Dongyoung's face, and he does nothing to fight it. Why would he, anyway? He too reaches behind Taeil to rest his hand just above Taeil's hips, and hums in agreement, "It was great, but it's amazing, now that you're here."

Taeil laughs heartily at Dongyoung's blatant attempt to flirt, and tugs on Dongyoung so they are facing each other. Perhaps it was the sunlight, or maybe it has always been that way, but Taeil's eyes were sparkling as he looked straight into them up close for the first time.

Dongyoung doesn't know how to explain what he's feeling. Bewitched? No, that sounds too evil. Entranced? Mesmerized? He doesn't know, and that's as far as his vocabulary would go. It doesn't matter, though, whether or not words could describe it. Probably not, because it feels beyond the world and he feels lightheaded, having no strength to counter the invisible force that's pulling him towards Taeil.

The last thing he sees before he closes his eyes is Taeil's eyes fluttering close with his lips slightly parted.

He's leaning forward, but he doesn't collide into anything. It's only then that he realises Taeil's shoulders are no longer under his hands. His eyes shoot open to see Taeil no longer there, the landscape before him replaced by a dark, endless abyss. It's too late to do anything, he's already tilted so far over the edge that the only way to go is to abide by the rules of gravity. He squeezes his eyes shut again.

He knew it, he just knew it. He knew something bad was going to happen the moment Taeil appeared. People can't have it all. He'd ignored the bad omen. But he was happy, even if it was for a mere few minutes. He's had a taste of true happiness, and that's all he's ever wanted.

Suddenly free falling doesn't sound too bad, people pay hefty sums to skydive for a reason, right? He opens his arms wide, embracing gravity. If this was the way he'd die, he might as well enjoy it. At least he'll have no regrets.

The next thing he knows, his eyes are wide open, and he's back in a more than familiar place. He knows where he is just from the view, but something feels different this time. Someone's wrists are touching his hands- wait, _he's_ grabbing someone's wrists. He looks to his left to see Taeil, looking somewhat tired.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Taeil asks, still warm but nowhere near as bubbly as the Taeil in his dream.

He contemplates narrating the whole dream. He shakes his head, quickly deciding against the one-way ticket to ending their friendship. "Kinda..? Not really? It started out nice, and it got better, and then everything just went downhill so fast."

"Did it?" Taeil halfheartedly replies, looking distracted and uncomfortable. He squirms a little, "Uh, can you, like, let go?"

Dongyoung retracts his hands immediately, "Oh, sorry," he apologizes. _Reality is tough, huh._ He tilts his head to one side, "What are you doing on my bed though?"

Taeil starts darting his eyes around the room, finally focusing on one corner of the ceiling, "Huh? I mean, I was like just, uh, casually stealing something from your fridge, then like I was sleepy, and your bed looked comfy, y'know? Yeah?"

Dongyoung doesn't buy the story, not in the slightest bit. Taeil's awkward tone was giving it away, and they way he kept fiddling with his fingers basically confirmed it. He smirks.

"Oh yeah?" Dongyoung says patronizingly, as he boldly throws a leg over Taeil's and slips his hand under the hem of Taeil's sweater.

Taeil is visibly surprised, but he doesn't make any effort to protest Dongyoung's boldness. Instead, he composes himself and takes it one step further as he reaches for Dongyoung's nape, fingers stroking the short hairs lightly.

Dim as the room is, barely lit by a small table lamp, Taeil's features look even softer with the edges faintly defined. Contrasting it is, with how bright and sunny it was in the dream, but equally beautiful. His eyes are not sparkling like they were before, but far more alluring and deep. Some things remained the same, like the way his eyelids flutter and the short, soft breaths that escape his lips.

Like the way Dongyoung submits to the unyielding invisible force once again, except this time his lips  _do_ touch Taeil's. The same otherworldly feeling returns, with a greater intensity than ever before, displacing all the anchors holding him down. He's lightheaded again, he feels like he's floating, and he's not sure the rules of the universe allow his heart to race so fast. Maybe, just maybe, it's because Taeil brings him to beyond the universe we can ever define.

**Author's Note:**

> The reason I said Knock On and My Van on repeat is cuz that's what I listened to while writing lol. This fic could feel very happy I suppose, but in my mind it is very fantasy-like? Like the vibe of those two songs is what I'm imagining. Sorry I can't describe that in words haha. Recently I've been feeling a lot of things, and usually I write to please but this time I really just wrote what I wanted to without thinking about quality, and I can't say I like it a lot but I feel better after writing. Yeah. Thanks for reading though, if you made it here. :) And the stash of doil fic drafts? It's only grown and I still haven't completed any of them. Hah.


End file.
